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Shoes, Roommates and Tattoos: The Birth of the Cubs' Championship Family

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

MESA, Ariz. — Over boxes stacked like skyscrapers and through tightening bonds that would lead to roommate arrangements, you could see the seeds beginning to sprout toward an eventual path to glory.

As the Chicago Cubs' brass sat in the nearly empty stands of their spring complex here during the Arizona Fall League in 2013, there were moments when they could barely stand the anticipation.

"For us in the office, it was really exciting," Jason McLeod, Chicago's senior vice president of scouting and player development, says. "Really, and this is no B.